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Siege of Fort Westavia
The End of Count Voloch During the battle Gilith, Lylas’ daughter had called upon divine powers and banished Count Voloch from the battlefield, but there was no evidence to confirm Voloch’s end. Lylas knew his ancient enemy had the strength and knowledge to cheat death once more. Following the victory at the River Marilla, Lylas ordered his forces to march towards Fort Westavia, as this vampire stronghold would be the most likely place for Voloch to retreat. Also, this accursed fortress had been a constant threat to his kingdom; taking control of it would be significant success. Lylas’ host advanced at a steady pace, gathering game and other resources to ensure they could survive in the harsher climate. The army arrived at Fort Westavia in Autumn of Year 1. The land was barren and covered by a thick blanket of darkness. Even during mid-day it was no brighter than twilight. Lylas knew Voloch had hidden behind his walls and was using his arcane powers to weaken the elven host. Lylas ordered his army to encircle the fort and lay siege. He was not going to let any servants of Voloch to pass through his lines. Lylas’ uncle Narmacil had besieged Voloch’s capital, Castle Chrisvania. If the old tales were true, the source of Voloch’s power laid in that city. Narmacil was the greatest general Lylas had ever known, so he trusted his uncle to take control of Voloch’s capital. If Voloch wanted to protect his capital he had to come out of his city and face Lylas on the battle field again. The waiting game lasted months and winter had arrived. Lylas’ gamble put him in a difficult position as the cursed darkness and lifeless land were testing the resolve of his people. For months there was nothing, not even a skirmish. His forces kept watch for what seemed to be a never-ending night. Lylas was hoping for the news of Narmacil’s victory. As it stood the time was only weakening his own forces; siege has little effect on the dead. The news of Narmacil’s victory arrived at the beginning of winter. Despite all their attempts, Narmacil’s host could only weaken the magic that gave Voloch his powers. Lylas hoped this was enough to weaken Voloch, as he was not looking forward to wintering here. Weeks passed since Narmacil’s victory and the winter had settled in. It was too late for Lylas to retreat and even his most loyal commanders had started showing signs of despair. They had been at the same spot staring into darkness for over 5 months. One morning Lylas was awakened by his daughter. Gilith wore a smile and urged her father to come out of his tent. Lylas got out and looked around trying to understand what made Gilith so happy. As Gilith pointed over the hills Lylas realised what he was looking at; the first sun rise he had seen since the beginning of the siege. Compared to any other dawn this was still a lot darker and depressing, but after 5 months it was almost blindingly bright. Dim light rekindled the spirit of the elven host. Day after day light grew brighter, and despite the bitter winter no one was complaining. It was almost the beginning of spring and it was now possible to distinguish day from night. Lylas opted to wait until the end of spring before attacking Voloch. He knew he had the upper hand and didn’t want to let Voloch escape again. Each passing day weakened his enemy. Lylas ordered his army to tighten the siege and get as close to the walls as possible. From his new quarters Lylas could almost hear wailing sounds coming from the fortress. These voices slowly turned into shrieking sounds by the end of spring. The shrieks were loud and continued through day and night. One night, the shrieking became so loud that no one could sleep. They echoed from the mountains and disturbed the very soul of the land. Day after day the shrieking got louder and louder until one morning they suddenly stopped. This sudden silence was followed by bright sunshine. Along with the sun, life returned to the valley. As if the cage holding life itself broke, birds and other creatures reappeared from nowhere. Lylas knew this was the day Voloch had finally lost. He would have preferred to fight his enemy on the battlefield and finish him personally, but to ensure Voloch would never comeback he had to cut the magical powers of the count. Almost one year had passed since Lylas had beaten Voloch at the River Marilla, and now Voloch was gone forever. Lylas ordered his army to enter the fortress and ensure all remnants of Voloch’s army were destroyed. Gilith and Almiel performed a ritual to cleanse the fortress from dark magic and banished the souls trapped within the fortress. Lylas renamed the fortress from Westavia to Castle Marilla in memory of the battle that started the war between Sannr Alfeim and the Grand County of Chrisvania.